Little Wonders
by beccalovesmerder
Summary: This takes place towards the end of 9x13, Bad Blood, but before the final scene in MerDer's bedroom and then carries on from that. I had wished there had been more Meredith/Derek interaction when the baby started kicking for the first time so this story was born. Enjoy!


**Hello all :)**  
**This was pretty much born because I wished there had been more Meredith/Derek interaction when the baby started kicking for the first time.**  
**This takes place towards the end of 9x13, _Bad Blood_, but before the final scene in MerDer's bedroom and then carries on from that.**  
**Not completely sure how this turned out, but we'll see I guess.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**_Little Moments_**

There it was again.

That tiny little flutter that at first terrified her to her very core was now a treasured reminder of the life growing inside her.

Logically she knew it was around the time when she should be experiencing such things. Meredith was a doctor after all. But she found herself unable to think like the doctor she had worked so hard to become where her children were concerned. Like when Zola had the flu and she seriously considered missing the biggest exam of her life to stay with her sick baby. Rational Meredith knew it was more than likely a 24-hour bug, that all babies got sick at some point, and that Zola was in the care of a freaking neurosurgeon for God's sake. But Meredith the mom was not comforted by any of these facts.

She'd heard parents say over and over, the only time you know your child is completely safe is when they're in your arms.

She had never appreciated those words so fully until Zola was placed in her arms. Unfortunately for her, her next child was making her wait another 6 months for that to happen.

_Children_.

She remembered when that word terrified her. When Derek so much as uttering the thought of the possibility of them sent her running in a panic to Cristina.

Now the only thing that terrified her that much (maybe more so) was the thought of it being taken away.

Even so, it was still hard to wrap her mind around the fact that she was about to be a mother of two.

The baby sent a forceful kick to Meredith's stomach, causing her to jump in surprise at the strength. That had definitely been the strongest one yet.

She gazed down at her ever growing stomach, giving the spot that was kicked a little rub. Derek had been impossible to track down today what with his trying to save the hospital and all. Thankfully he had just texted her to let her know he and Zola were waiting for her in the lobby.

* * *

Stepping off of the main elevator, she easily spotted Derek holding their daughter in his arms while she babbled animatedly. Probably about fish. Or 'fwishies' as she had taken to calling them. _Finding Nemo_ was currently her video of choice and the hospital daycare had recently adopted two goldfish that Zola couldn't get enough of.

Meredith beamed as she neared her little family.

"Mama!"

Yelling. Zola had also taken to yelling.

"Mama! Mamaaaaa!"

She watched her daughter attempt to wiggle from Derek's hold as she whined to be put down. She was only a couple yards away when Derek finally relented and set Zola on her feet.

"Mama! I color fwishies!" she called excitedly as she rushed to her mother, holding her crayon colored drawing high in the air.

Despite her tired state, Meredith's eyes lit up in genuine excitement at her daughter's enthusiasm. "You did?! Can I see, baby?"

Zola proudly presented her drawing. Upon further inspection, Meredith assumed the pink and purple blobs were meant to be the 'fwishies' and the random spots of blue represented the water with some green squiggles thrown in for good measure.

Definitely fridge worthy.

"This is so beautiful, Zola!" Meredith praised, kneeling down to the toddler's level. "Are those the fish? They're such pretty colors. And is that the water?"

Zola giggled as she continued showing off her art to Meredith. Giving the picture back to Zola, Meredith planted a loving kiss on her forehead before attempting to get up from her spot kneeling on the floor. It only took a couple moments before she realized that getting down had been the easier part and that her new, growing body was now starting to wreak havoc on her center of gravity.

Thankfully all it took was a pathetic look in Derek's direction to make him swoop into action and assist his wife in righting herself to a standing position.

"Not a word," she threatened in a hushed, deadly tone before she gave him a chance to even think of teasing her about this new development.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Derek answered with feigned innocence, giving her a peck on the cheek for good measure.

"Mama!" Zola tugged on the bottom of Meredith's coat to get her attention before raising her arms toward her mother. "Up!"

The big, heartbreaking, brown eyes gazing expectantly up at her were impossible to deny, but the consistent ache in her lower back and the thought of bending over again begged to differ.

"Up, pwease!" Zola insisted again.

After sending another helpless look to her husband, Derek merely chuckled and leant down to grab Zola under the arms and hand her over to Meredith. The toddler seemed perfectly pleased to make her mother's shoulder her pillow and buried her face against her neck.

Meredith smiled contently, reflexively rubbing slow circles against Zola's back.

"You two ready to head home?"

Meredith nodded before adding, "Do you have Zola's bag?"

Derek responded by lifting the small duffel bag from the lobby chair for her see and wrapped his free arm around his wife's waist as the three of them walked out of the hospital.

* * *

The ride home was quick and mostly silent, save for Zola's babbling.

She managed to talk herself to sleep in the car, so Meredith went up to change for bed while Derek carried the toddler to her own room.

Nestled under the covers already, Meredith offered her husband a smile when he finally entered their bedroom looking downright exhausted.

"Rough day?"

Derek groaned in affirmation and rubbed his hands over his face the way he always did when he was equal parts frustrated and stressed.

Meredith offered a small sympathetic smile even though he wasn't facing her way to see it. "Did you and April come up with anything?"

"We thought we had," he answered as he began to change in to more comfortable clothing. "But it turns out that no amount of budget cuts is going to save us."

"Then what's the point of making the hospital more efficient? How is this not all about budget cuts?"

Derek collapsed dejectedly beside his wife, leaning up against the headboard next to her. "They're getting ready to sell the hospital."

Meredith's couldn't have hid her shock if she tried. "What?"

"Cahill is getting us ready to sell. Trying to make us as appealing to buyers as she can."

"So that's it?"

"That's it," Derek confirmed with a sigh, leaning his head back against the headboard.

Meredith reached over for his hand as a sign of comfort. There wasn't much left to say on the matter as none of it was in their hands. However, she still hated that he had been working so hard to find a solution only to be shot down.

A soft kick to her side suddenly reminder her that she still hadn't shared the very news that might make her husband's day significantly better. Taking the hand that she had been holding, Meredith glided it over her protruding stomach and holding it to the left of her belly button.

"What are you doing?"

"Just wait," Meredith promised.

She felt a tiny flutter as her baby moved within her, but was unable to discern whether or not Derek could have noticed the movement.

"Did you feel that?"

"Feel what?" Derek asked, before an understanding look covered his features. "Is the baby moving?" he asked excitedly. "Did you feel the baby move today?"

Meredith couldn't stop her beaming smile. "I felt it this afternoon. He's been kicking like crazy ever since then but you've been impossible to track down today."

"You should have paged me," he whispered, still in awe as he gazed down at his wife's stomach.

The two waited for a good minute but the baby didn't seem interested in cooperating.

Meredith noticed a discouraged look creeping its way on to Derek's face. Just when she was about to tell Derek that she was sure the baby would kick any minute now, she began to feel it move again. It only took another second before the baby delivered another swift kick right to the area Derek's hand was covering.

"Oh!" The look on Derek's face was even better than she had imagined it. "Oh, wow. I felt that!"

His laughter was so infectious she couldn't help but laugh along with him. He repositioned his hand, staring intently at Meredith's belly, willing their baby to move again.

"Oh!" Derek cried out happily in surprise. "We've got a soccer player in there!"

Meredith giggled at the cliché, enjoying the way Derek's eyes positively lit up every time the baby moved or kicked beneath his hand.

The couple shut the lights off and settled in to sleep a few minutes later.

Meredith was on her side, facing the inside of the bed while Derek's hand stayed resting lightly on her stomach.

"You said 'he'," Derek whispered, breaking the silence of the night.

Meredith's formally closed eyes fluttered open. "Hmmm?"

"When you were talking about the baby, you gave it a gender. You said 'he'. That's the first time you've talk about it without just saying 'the baby' or 'it'."

She stayed silent, trying to gauge his feelings on the matter. However, the soft smile gracing his lips hadn't faltered and the hand on her stomach continued tracing lazy, soothing circles on her skin.

"Is that what you think it is? You think it's a boy?"

"I don't know." Meredith smiled shyly.

"Yes you do," Derek prodded with a grin of his own.

"I just got tired of always calling our baby an 'it'."

"But you went with 'he' instead of 'she'."

"I…I have a feeling." She wasn't sure how to explain it, but Derek clearly wasn't going to let this go and she really wanted to go to sleep.

"A feeling? That it's a boy?" he questioned excitedly, looking back and forth from Meredith's face and her stomach.

"Is that what you want?"

"Having a son would be great," he confessed. "But I'll be just as thrilled if we're getting another daughter. Honestly, as long as you and the baby stay healthy, that's all that I can ask for."

Meredith's hand joined her husband's on her belly. "Another girl would be nice," she smiled at the idea. "But between you and me, I do really think it's a boy," she confessed.

"If it is a girl, we can't tell Zola that," he chuckled. "Mom thought Nancy was going to be a boy until she came out a girl. When we were kids, Liz found out about it and teased her endlessly about it."

"I'm sure you were totally innocent in that regard," Meredith quipped sarcastically, noticing how Derek was getting way too much joy at his sister's expense.

"Oh, totally innocent. I was an angel," he winked causing Meredith to burst out in laughter.

A wave of exhaustion reminded Meredith that it was late and her body was craving sleep. Closing her eyes again, she felt Derek settle closer to her after placing a gentle kiss on her cheek.

The last thing she was aware of before sleep overtook her consciousness was Derek's protective hand rubbing her stomach and the comforting movement of their child between them.

* * *

**Thoughts? Feelings?  
Thanks for reading :)**


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